Answer to Senate Question on Notice and change in calculation methods.

Alan ASHMORE made this Freedom of Information request to Department of Veterans' Affairs

This request has been closed to new correspondence from the public body. Contact us if you think it ought be re-opened.

The request was successful.

Dear Department of Veterans' Affairs,

BACKGROUND:

An extract from Senate Hansard, Monday 26 October 2020, Page 175 – Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee:

“Senator AYRES: Could you on notice provide that comparison, with the caveat that you've changed the methodology, for this year and last year on error rates, and high-impact error rates as well? Ms Cole: We only report high-impact error rates in the annual report."

Immediately prior to that, “Ms Cole: For example, last year, following a remark in that very same ANAO audit that you mentioned earlier, we changed the methodology about how we calculate our error rate in terms of how we count the number of errors per case. By a case I mean an individual. We have essentially made it more transparent, in that calculation rate."

WHAT INFORMATION AM I SEEKING?

As I have been unable to find a response to questions on Notice from Senator Ayres on the Senate website I am seeking the Departments response to Senator Ayres, “ Could you on notice provide that comparison, with the caveat that you've changed the methodology, for this year and last year on error rates, and high-impact error rates as well?

All correspondence, emails etc. associated with the change in calculation of high impact errors where Ms Cole states, “where we have instituted a more transparent and straightforward methodology in our QA rates from this year onwards.”

Yours faithfully,

Alan ASHMORE

INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

Dear Mr Ashmore

                

Freedom of Information Request: LEX 47408

 

I refer to your request for access to documents held by the Department of
Veterans’ Affairs (Department) under the Freedom of Information Act 1982
(FOI Act). Your request was received by the Department on 11 January 2022
and was made in the following terms:

 

BACKGROUND

 

An extract from Senate Hansard, Monday 26 October 2020, Page 175 – Foreign
Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee:

 

“Senator AYRES: Could you on notice provide that comparison, with the
caveat that you've changed the methodology, for this year and last year on
error rates, and high-impact error rates as well? Ms Cole: We only report
high-impact error rates in the annual report."

 

Immediately prior to that, “Ms Cole: For example, last year, following a
remark in that very same ANAO audit that you mentioned earlier, we changed
the methodology about how we calculate our error rate in terms of how we
count the number of errors per case. By a case I mean an individual. We
have essentially made it more transparent, in that calculation rate."

 

WHAT INFORMATION AM I SEEKING?

 

As I have been unable to find a response to questions on Notice from
Senator Ayres on the Senate website I am seeking the Departments response
to Senator Ayres, “ Could you on notice provide that comparison, with the
caveat that you've changed the methodology, for this year and last year on
error rates, and high-impact error rates as well?

 

All correspondence, emails etc. associated with the change in calculation
of high impact errors where Ms Cole states, “where we have instituted a
more transparent and straightforward methodology in our QA rates from this
year onwards.”

 

In accordance with section 15(5)(b) of the FOI Act, the due date for a
decision on your request is 10 February 2022.

 

Publication of documents

Please note that information released under the FOI Act may later be
published online on our disclosure log at
[1]https://www.dva.gov.au/about-dva/freedom...
subject to certain exceptions, such as if the documents relate to your own
personal information. The Department will advise you in its decision
whether details of your request will be published on the disclosure log or
not.

Contacting us about your request

 

We will contact you using the email address you have provided. Please
advise if you would prefer us to use an alternative means of contact.

 

If you have any questions, please contact me using the following details:

 

Post: Information Law Section, Legal Services & Audit Branch

GPO Box 9998 CANBERRA ACT 2601

Facsimile: (02) 6289 6337

Email: [2][email address]

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Monambi (Position Number 62329537)

FOI Officer

Information Law Section

Legal Services and Audit Branch

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

e [3][email address]

 

 

 

References

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INFORMATION.LAW, Department of Veterans' Affairs

2 Attachments

Dear Mr Ashmore,

 

Please find attached decision and document bundle in respect of your FOI
request LEX 47408.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Aleen (Position Number 62329528)

Information Access Officer

Information Law Section

Legal Services and Audit Branch

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

e [1][email address]

 

References

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